The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, today returned to New Delhi after his four-day tour of Rajasthan. Shri Naidu visited various cultural, historic and frontier locations in Rajasthan. He also interacted with agricultural scientists and was briefed upon the new varieties developed for dry land farming.
Shri Naidu began his trip by visiting the famous Tanot Mata Temple in Jaisalmer, where he offered prayers along with his spouse, Smt. Usha Naidu. On this occasion, he also paid tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at Victory Stambh, Tanot.
Visiting the famous Laungewala Battle Site near the border in Jaisalmer, Shri Naidu praised the exemplary courage and determination displayed by Indian soldiers in a crucial battle in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
On the second day, the Vice President visited the ‘Jaisalmer War Museum’ and interacted with the troops of the Indian Army’s Battle Axe Division . He commended their supreme efforts in defending the nation and in guarding the borders in harsh climatic conditions. He urged the security forces to establish their supremacy in new and emerging areas of conflict such as information and cyber warfare, while maintaining their dominance in conventional war.
Shri Naidu later addressed a Sainik Sammelan at 191 BN HQ and interacted with the Border Security Force personnel posted in the area. He praised BSF troops for guarding the nation’s frontiers and for taking measures to counter the emerging threats from enemy drones on the border and asked the force to update itself with the latest technologies. The Vice President expressed satisfaction over the increase in representation of women in our security forces.
After his two-day stay in Jaisalmer, the Vice President arrived in Jodhpur and visited the historic Mehrangarh Fort on the occasion of World Tourism Day and was impressed with its majestic beauty. In a Facebook post later, Shri Naidu described the fort as a glowing symbol of the grandeur of Rajasthan. He also called for improving infrastructure and other facilities around our heritage sites to give a boost to tourism.
On the third day, the Vice President visited the campus of IIT Jodhpur, where he inaugurated the Jodhpur City Knowledge & Innovation Cluster and laid the Foundation Stone of Fab Lab for Artificial Intelligence of Things  Systems. Addressing the students, Shri Naidu called for tapping the potential of revolutionary technologies like Artificial Intelligence  and advised them to come up with practical solutions to problems in the fields of agriculture, health, and education.
On the penultimate day, Shri Naidu visited the Border Security Force’s Jodhpur Frontier Headquarters and interacted with the BSF personnel. He expressed confidence that BSF will continue to thwart the nefarious designs of enemies of peace.
Later in the day, the Vice President visited ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute  at Jodhpur and interacted with the scientists and staff. Addressing the scientists at the institute, the Vice President emphasized the need to provide greater outreach to the farmers. “Technologies should not remain confined to laboratories and scientific know-how should be transferred to farmers,” he said.
At the time of their departure from Jaipur to New Delhi, Shri Naidu & his spouse, Smt. Usha Naidu were bid farewell by Shri Kalraj Mishra, the Governor of Rajasthan, Dr Bulaki Das Kalla, Minister, Government of Rajasthan, Shri Rajendra Gehlot, Member, Rajya Sabha & others.